Look to the mountains...

The Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit give me optimism—not pessimism. I tell you this because pessimism is a much easier disposition to assume, and I see it a lot.  Pessimists are just tired of trying. But “pessimism is not about being tired of evil but about being tired of good. Despair does not lie in being weary of suffering, but in being weary of joy. It is when, for some reason or other, good things in your life begin to decline; when food does not feed, when its cures do not cure, when its blessings refuse to bless.”   Chesterton.

I hope that we can talk today about becoming again, the optimists God’s called us to become—and how to stay an optimist!  Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when (optimistic) joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the temporal and superficial. Being sad or depressed should be an innocent interlude, a temporary frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of our souls.

What is joy?  It’s the gift of the Holy Spirit that dispels the possibility of pessimism and despair. C.S. Lewis called it, ”unsatisfied desire that is more desirable than any other satisfaction, distinguishing it from happiness and pleasure.   Joy has to do with a longing for the divine, suggesting that true joy is found only in a relationship with God.

True joy, as presented in Scripture, differs significantly from fleeting happiness or momentary pleasure. Rather than relying on external circumstances, joy is an inner gladness based on a relationship with God and trust in His promises. Psalm 16:11 states, “You have made known to me the path of life; You fill me with joy in Your presence; You give me pleasure forever in Your right hand.” This kind of joy endures hardship and trials (James 1:2) because it originates from the unchangeable truth of God’s character and work in the lives of believers.

God’s own nature is the ultimate source of peace, delight, and joy. David said in Psalm 43:4,  “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my greatest joy…”

One of my favorite passages is this: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”  (Psalm 121:1-8 NIV)

We are made for a lot more than just satisfying urges, appetites and personal goals.  And sometimes we are given glimpses of that  “something more”. Christian joy is the ability to respond to external circumstances with inner peace and satisfaction, because He has shown us that He will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.  There’s a reason and purpose for what He is doing within and around us.  It does not mean that we’re walking around in joy 24/7.  But it does mean that we know that joy is just around the corner and that most of our lives—-90% or more—is about joy.

Do you know real joy?  Have you had that feeling of unexplainable inner gladness, delight, and rejoicing? This inner gladness leads to a cheerful heart, and a cheerful heart leads to cheerful behavior.  You can’t fake it, and you can’t make it happen. To get it requires a choice.. to keep it requires discipline.

We would all like to live knowing that He protects, shades, and watches over us!  There’s no better guide, guard, defender, protector, or lover of our souls!  Imagine the rest, and peace and comfort know that “The Lord will keep you from all harm.”   Does it mean that nothing bad will ever happen, or that we will never be sad, or cry, or have that feeling of being totally alone and abandoned?

Harm came to Jesus….Paul, Peter, John, and even the man who wrote this Psalm—King David.  And yet, Jesus never fretted; the apostles never denied their faith in Jesus or love of God; David never turned to idols or denied his adoration of God, and despite all of Job’s woes, he never cursed at God or gave up his faith in God’s goodness.

Jesus and all his apostles were killed, and most were tortured—by men who hated them.  David wrote this Psalm after his own son tried to murder him, and many of his most trusted friends deserted him.  Bad things happen to you when you follow Jesus and have the love of God in your heart. It seems that today, more now than before, no good deed goes unpunished in America.

So don’t think that David is just blathering something that sounded nice and soothing.  But no man under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can misrepresent God or lie.  David wrote the truth in Psalm 121.  But I think he’s talking more about the overriding joy that will consume 90% of our time if our minds are fixed upon Him.

But what is required for us to enjoy this peace of mind? According to this Psalm, we must choose to look to Him for our security, not our own wits, resources, friends, power, or possessions. These words found in Psalm 121 were uttered by one who constantly looked to God as His “all in all” and “Jehovah Jireh.”

This is what He desires from me. My surrender, yes, but also a childlike dependence on Him, placing my hand in His and trusting Him to lead me to green pastures, quiet and still waters, and to an abundant life, a life I could never imagine or attain on my own. This is what He truly wants for me, and truly wants for you too. He’s not trying to deny us a good life—He’s the source!

So, do I really want this? Do I truly desire for Him to direct my paths, or do I prefer my own wandering excursions?  I learned in high school math that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  The shortest, most readily acceptable means to joy is a straight path to God Himself.  But after I got my driver’s license, I learned that the longest distance from point A to point B was me trying to find an unknown shortcut! Try creating your own shortcut in Stokes County,  without a map or Siri, and a ten-minute trip can take an hour or more! The longest, most exhausting, and wasteful path to joy is trying to find a shortcut.  Drugs, alcohol, sex, money, and getting ahead of everyone else might seem like a good shortcut, but it takes longer and you end up with something much, much less than joy. You will become a pessimist and a drain upon everyone who has a relationship with you.

Do I want Him, the joy that fills my heart—knowing that He is protecting me from harm by keeping my eyes, feet, and mind from places that are dangerous, or do I merely want Him to rescue me once I’ve had my fun?   Are we serious about trusting that God will provide us with all we need, or do we suspect that God does not know what we really thirst—or lust for?  While a young man, Saint Augustine famously prayed, “Oh, Master, make me chaste and celibate - but not yet!”

We all want a superhero to rescue us out of a bad situation, but if I am following the Good Shepherd, there are certain things, places, and people that He would never lead me to in the first place.  I’ve learned that you can’t have it both ways. He can be your shepherd and lead you, but He can’t be a good shepherd if He keeps letting you jump over the fence and looking for greener grass. Either He is your shepherd… or He is not.  The Psalmist was a sheep of God’s pasture, and I want to be and remain a part of the same flock.  Don’t you?

And the first thing that will hinder joy is the irritation caused by giving too much thought to how demanding or unfair life is. Jesus said, “…the cares of this world,…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19, NIV). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is up to now merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).  You and I can be fountains through which Jesus can pour His “living water.”   A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life of joy as natural as breathing wherever he goes.

“If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet, you must get into the water. If you want joy…you must get close to, and even into, the thing that is the source of joy ….”. C.S. Lewis